1.4.10 — A Day That Will Live In Infamy

With 1.4.10 approaching – and gee, can it get over with…I mean, get here quickly enough? – I’ve put together a mailbag which will, hopefully, provide the answers you need as the big day looms.

From: Mark, Pittsburgh

*Will there be a definitive winner on 1.4.10?

Yes. MMA will be the definitive winner. When the unwatchable force meets the uninteresting object on this and future Mondays, I don’t expect the overall viewership to increase much. TNA will bring its lame number over from Thursday. WWE will keep underachieving at roughly the same rate. The dichotomy between the promotions simply won’t recapture the electricity of 1995-2001 because they both feature fake fights. We are in the era of real fights. Worked pro wrestling would have to be very, very creative and topical to again seize the public’s imagination.

From: Mark, Pittsburgh

*Of the wrestlers booked/rumored to show up on TNA’s 1.4.10 show, which are legitimate stars?

Well, let’s see…

Scott Hall used to be a star because he looked like a star and talked like a star. Let’s see how he looks and talks Monday. Sean Waltman is a useful mid-carder, nothing more. Rob Van Dam has never drawn money, his work is inconsistent and his interviews halting. Jeff Hardy isn’t a star when he’s in TNA. He is a star when he’s in WWE. Ric Flair is one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. Fans have overlooked his age for a long, long time. If he’s used right and wrestles sporadically, he has one more (short) run left. Hogan is THE biggest star in wrestling history, but fans have long since stopped overlooking his age. I’ve never seen anything in Mr. Kennedy. But Steve Austin does, and he knows more about this than I do. Eric Bischoff was a more compelling TV character when he worked for Vince McMahon, not against him. Bischoff will be on the wrong show Monday.

So, in terms of immediate impact, TNA’s biggest acquisition is a 60-year-old guy who, as always, won’t be allowed to get over to the fullest. Uh-oh. (Click Below For More…)